EU plays for time?

Daggers if not sabres seem to be drawn with the news that

EU poised to take legal action against UK over Northern Ireland

The Northern Ireland secretary, Brandon Lewis, said last week the UK would unilaterally extend the grace periods, arguing that the government had to act to protect the interests of Northern Ireland and keep shelves stocked.,,,Šefčovič, the EU’s co-chair of the joint committee overseeing implementation of the withdrawal agreement, subsequently accused the UK of breaching both it and, potentially, international law, as well as a “clear departure” from constructive cooperation.

I love that 'constructive cooperation' bit 

Britain would have several weeks to respond but could face sanctions or even fines if it did not comply with an ECJ decision.

The commission is also set to send a second letter, this time to the joint committee, accusing the UK of breaching articles 167 of the withdrawal agreement, which require both parties to consult and act in good faith in implementing it, allowing the treaty’s dispute settlement mechanism to be triggered.

Who would enforce the fines? 

 A UK government spokesperson said: “These measures are lawful and consistent with a progressive and good-faith implementation of the protocol.”

Some interesting background was provided by the invaluable Briefings for Britain last Sunday. C Bell suggests:

chaos is being deliberately manufactured in the EU by bureaucratic officiousness and malevolent obstructionism...The EU has plenty of form in this area. Two weeks ago the French refused to ratify the EU-Mercosur trade deal on the flimsiest pretext, after twenty years of negotiations. We heard a lot about the Walloon parliament delaying the much vaunted Canada-EU deal, but it is still only provisionally in force, four years after it was signed. Meanwhile, the EU benefits from zero or reduced tariffs on its exports to Canada while chapters on investment and financial services of greater benefit to Canada are yet to be brought into force.

The longer it can drag out ratification of the TCA, the more benefits it will hope to extract from the UK in return for granting minor concessions on border paperwork (a complete anachronism in the digital age) or a lifting of the bureaucratic blockade the French are imposing on lorries from England ...the possibilities for mischief-making are infinite.

There is no better example of crass insensitivity than Commission officials deciding that British bangers and mash can no longer be eaten in Belfast because they refuse to recognise UK food and SPS standards which are identical to the EU’s